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HORSESHOE- No. 294,062. Patented Feb. 26, 1884.

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NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OLIVER H. MERRILL, OF NORTH MANCHESTER, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO H. LYDALL & FOULDS, OF SAME PLACE.

HORSESHOE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 294,062, dated February 26, 1884.

' Application filed June 2, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLIVER H. MERRILL, of North Manchester, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement Pertaining to Horseshoes, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, where Figure 1 is a top view of a horseshoe embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a view in cross-section of same on line a; w of Fig. 1. Part of a hoof is shown in dotted outline.

The object of the improvement is the provision of a laterally-elastic shoe for expanding a contracted hoof.

The horseshoe a is of spring-steel, and it is pierced depthwise by the"]'- shaped mortises 0 on each side at about athird of the distance froin heel to toe, the short arm 0 of the mortises openingto the inner side of the shoe, and leaving the shoe of proper thickness to give to each prong of the shoe an opportunity for lateral elastic movement or play. This special form of the thinning-mortise leaves the substance of the shoe nearly continuous and of full width, so that the shoe affordsgood protection to the hoof, and its main part is so located in direction as to allow of any degree of elasticity by arranging the length of the mortise for various sizes of shoes.

In using this shoe it is first set so that the prongs of the shoe are somewhat wider apart at the ends than the hoof calls for; then, by means of the clamp d, the prong ends are brought together,-so as to fit the hoof. The shoe is then attached to the hoof by nails in the ordinary manner, after which the clamp is removed. This leaves the shoe so that its prongs tend constantly to expand the hoof.

The outward pull of the prongs of the shoe upon the hoof is aided by the use of the upturned flanges e, that are located on the inner edge of the shoe, near the heels, and are integral with the shoe.

I claim as my invention- 1. As an improved article of manufacture, the horseshoe a, of spring-steel, having in each side,between the toe and heels,the T- shaped mortise b, piercing the shoe depthwis'e, whereby the prongs are made capable of lateral adjustment under pressure, and of recoil when the pressure is removed, all substantially as described.

2. As an improved article of manufacture, the horseshoe a, of spring-steel, having in each side,between the toe and heels,the "F shaped mortise b, piercing the shoe depthwise, whereby the prongs are made capable of lateral adjustment under pressure, and of recoil when the pressure is removed, and bearing integral with the shoe on the inner edge of the heels the upturned flanges 6, all substantially as described.

OLIVER H. MERRILL.

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